AI researcher quits Anthropic, warns unregulated AI could kill us all

Jacob Coxon, a 27-year-old researcher, resigned from Anthropic in early September over fears of unregulated AI catastrophes, sparking a major controversy that reached the US Congress. Coxon, a discreet British researcher, posted a viral thread on X on September 8-9 announcing his resignation and claiming his former colleagues at OpenAI and Anthropic "sincerely believe this could kill us all by the end of the decade" and that their companies are "playing with our lives." He was not a whistleblower or prominent AI debate figure, and his account was created only in early 2026, yet his statements have ignited widespread public and political attention.